A method and apparatus for inserting a tag into a bale of agricultural material is disclosed. The tag is inserted into the bale material, during bale production, such that the tag is within the bale material, but within reading distance of an outer surface of the final bale. In square bales, the tag is placed in either the first or last slice of the bale. In round bales, the tag is place in the outer circumferential layer of the bale as it is formed. The tag may be gravity fed or forcibly fed into the stream of crop material as it passes from the baling apparatus pick-up to the baling chamber. A system for identifying and tracking an individual bale is also disclosed.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method of labeling a bale comprising: conveying crop material to a bale chamber of an agricultural square baler with a mechanism, the square baler having a reciprocable plunger for compressing the crop material in the bale chamber to form a bale; and inserting at least one wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber prior to entry into the bale chamber, such that each tag is placed, with respect to a finished bale, at a substantially known location, wherein said location is within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale, wherein said bale forming step is accomplished in the square baler via a formation of multiple slices of bale material, wherein each slice is first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber by a crop transfer mechanism; and wherein said tag is inserted into the pre-chamber during formation of at least one slice of the multiple slices of bale material.
A method for labeling square bales of agricultural material involves moving crop material into a bale chamber of a square baler using a mechanism. The baler has a plunger that compresses the crop to form the bale. Before the material enters the bale chamber, at least one wireless tag is inserted into the crop material in a pre-chamber. The tag ends up at a known location within the finished bale, close to the outer surface. The bale is formed by creating multiple slices of bale material. Each slice is first formed in the pre-chamber and then ejected into the bale chamber. The tag is inserted into the pre-chamber during the formation of at least one of these slices.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein tag is inserted during formation of the first and/or last slice of each bale.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of at least one slice of the multiple slices of bale material) involves inserting the tag during the creation of the first slice, the last slice, or both, of each bale.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said tag is an RFID tag.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of at least one slice of the multiple slices of bale material) uses an RFID tag as the wireless tag.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said tag is inserted via gravity, wherein the tag is allowed to fall into place while intermingling with material in the pre-chamber.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of at least one slice of the multiple slices of bale material) involves inserting the tag using gravity. The tag is allowed to fall into the pre-chamber and mix with the crop material.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said tag is inserted via mechanical action into the material.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of at least one slice of the multiple slices of bale material) involves inserting the tag into the material in the pre-chamber by applying mechanical force.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein said tag is inserted via a linear driver that engages an individual tag, pushing it into the path taken by the material in the pre-chamber.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of the first and/or last slice of each bale) involves using a linear driver to push individual tags into the path of the crop material inside the pre-chamber.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said tag is inserted via an gas driver, wherein a pulse of compressed gas is used to push the tag into the material in the pre-chamber.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of the material by mechanical action) involves using a gas driver to insert the tag. A pulse of compressed gas pushes the tag into the crop material inside the pre-chamber.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said tag is located at about 1 to about 5 inches from an outer surface of the bale.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of at least one slice of the multiple slices of bale material) places the wireless tag approximately 1 to 5 inches from the outer surface of the completed bale.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said tag is associated with a reference in an electronic data base corresponding to the properties found in the tagged bale for future reference.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of at least one slice of the multiple slices of bale material) involves associating the inserted tag with a record in an electronic database. This record contains information about the bale's properties, enabling future reference and retrieval of the bale's characteristics.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein further comprising writing bale information on each said tag prior to inserting each said tag into the bale material.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of at least one slice of the multiple slices of bale material) includes writing bale information onto each tag before inserting it into the bale material.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein when more than one tag is provided in a bale, each said tag has identical bale information written thereon.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of at least one slice of the multiple slices of bale material; writing bale information on each tag prior to insertion), when using more than one tag per bale, ensures that all tags contain identical bale information.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein said bale information is selected from size, weight, date, moisture content, nutritional value, GPS Location of bale, farm name, farmer id, field name, preservative type, and amount of preservative applied and combinations thereof.
The method of labeling square bales (conveying crop material to a bale chamber; inserting a wireless tag into the crop material in a pre-chamber before entry into the bale chamber such that each tag is placed at a substantially known location within the bale material, proximate an outer surface of the finished bale; bale forming via multiple slices of bale material, each slice first formed in the pre-chamber and ejected into the bale chamber; tag insertion into the pre-chamber during formation of at least one slice of the multiple slices of bale material; writing bale information on each tag prior to insertion) includes writing bale information selected from: size, weight, date, moisture content, nutritional value, GPS location, farm name, farmer ID, field name, preservative type, amount of preservative applied, or any combination of these properties onto each tag.
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August 30, 2010
August 27, 2013
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